on Aug 14, 2016 in Inspiration, Nutrition, Weight Loss
Eating is comforting, satisfying, and necessary. But when food is pleasurable and so plentiful, it can be hard to know when to stop eating. How do you communicate to your stomach that you’re done? Try these tips: Eat mindfully. After each bite, chew slowly and savor all the flavors. Slow down and really enjoy your food. People who just mindlessly gobble their food do not feel satisfied and eat more calories than people who slow down and really take the time to enjoy their food. Eat pleasure-fully. Plan a pleasurable activity post-meal. Give yourself a reason to want to get up and away from the food. Sometimes you don’t want a meal or snack to end because it may be the first rest or fun you’ve had all day. Planning in time for recreation, rest, and relaxation is as important as brushing your teeth. Make it a daily habit. Eat flavor-fully. Infusing flavors into your dishes satisfies more senses than just your taste buds. Your body craves deliciousness, so give it what it wants. Savory aromas and piquancy provided by additions — such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh rosemary, mint, or basil — create a dining experience that treats the wandering taste bud. Eat experience-fully. Sit at a table and when you can, make the location you eat a peaceful, beautiful environment. Use a cloth napkin, a place-mat or cloth, or a pretty glass. Add a sprinkle of parsley or mint to your food as a garnish. When researchers served the exact same product to people, (a store bought sponge cake); one on a plain dish unadorned and one on a decorative glass dish sprinkled with powdered sugar and two raspberries, people rated the powdered sugar version with raspberries as more filling and satisfying. Eat fat-fully. Eating healthy fats can make you feel fuller, longer. Stick to reasonable portions of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, olives, walnuts, and almonds. Eat Bean-fully. Try adding a quarter to half cup of beans to each of your meals. Beans slow gastric emptying and regulates blood sugar levels in a way that greatly enhances your feeling of fullness. The greater satiety effect is not only in the meal you eat beans , but...
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on Aug 7, 2016 in Nutrition, Recipes
If you sometimes fall short on eating enough fruits and vegetables, you’re not alone. But adding color to your healthy diet can be easier with a few simple and delicious swaps. Wrap. Instead of tacos or burritos, try a wrap with lettuce or other greens. Shred. You may have had shredded zucchini or carrots in cake, but have you tried these tasty, vitamin-packed slivers in spaghetti sauce? Summer squash is a great alternative to pasta noodles and can substitute for potatoes in many recipes. Mash. Use avocado’s creamy flesh to boost a recipe’s health factor with good fats, fiber, and phytonutrients. Mash 1/4 avocado with a little low-fat plain yogurt to replace mayo in a chicken or tuna salad. Try this rich, vegan chocolate pudding: Instant Chocolate Pudding 2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted 1 cup unsweetened almond milk ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ cup honey, plus additional as needed 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Flaky sea salt Scoop the avocado flesh into your blender container and then add the almond milk, cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Puree on high speed for one minute, or until a creamy consistency. Stop to scrape down the sides, as needed. Taste and add additional honey if needed – the goal is subtle sweetness to balance the richness of the cocoa and avocado. Spoon (or pipe, using a zipper storage bag with the corner cut off) the pudding into tea cups or small ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Prior to serving, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on...
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on Aug 1, 2016 in General Wellness, Inspiration
Being busy doing all the time can you leave you burnt out, resentful, and lonely. Find time for personal connections. Keeping relationships healthy helps you stay energized and moving forward. Make an effort to have positive interactions every day. Some days it’s easy, when jokes are flying and moods are high; on other days, reach out to someone and exchange emotional support. Help a friend or co-worker be more optimistic by pointing out silver linings. Offer encouragement, commiserate when someone is stressed or sad, and compliment when you see someone doing things right. Smile and make eye contact with everyone you see throughout your day. Schedule time in your calendar to spend with people you enjoy. Like scheduling time for exercise, make it a routine. Be all Ears. Instead of thinking about what you want to say to someone, stop and just listen. Then reflect back what you heard them say and ask, “Is that what you’re saying?” Add one of these relationship-builders to your calendar this...
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on Jul 25, 2016 in Fitness, General Wellness
Your sneakers help you pursue fitness goals, so it’s essential that they are up to the job. Use this checklist to see if it’s time for a fresh pair. Go sole searching. Set your shoes on a table to look for uneven wear. If you begin developing leg or foot pain, the cushioning may be flattened. Your foot size can change over time, so get measured yearly. Mind your miles. Experts recommend looking for wear after 300 to 500 miles of running/walking or 45 to 60 sports/aerobics hours. Depending on stride length, 10,000 steps/day equal about 5 miles; if you wear the same pair daily, you could need replacements in as little as 3 months. Save your high-performance shoes for exercising and they’ll last longer. Save on gimmicks. Though very specialized athletic versions are available, many of us just need a basic, well-fitting shoe. You can also skip so-called toning shoes — they have not proven to provide special muscle building power. Take some time to test your sole mates this week and see if new kicks might add more spring to your...
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on Jul 20, 2016 in General Wellness, Inspiration
Not only do we come in all shapes and sizes, but our personalities can range from angel to ogre. Deep down inside though, we’re all humans who want others to like us. The next time you’re tempted to see all horns and no humanity in someone, try this… Remember that to err is human. And some humans err quite a bit. People aren’t always nice. They say the wrong thing, they get distracted, they forget. Just remember: We all face similar issues in life. Try to find sympathy or empathy for them. When someone is being difficult or ignoring you, try to understand their feelings. Just because you don’t share them, the emotions are still valid. Remember how your problems sometimes make you do things you regret. Put yourself in their shoes. Think about what others do and then about what you’d do in their position. Would you make the same choices? Be honest. Discover each individual’s humanity to see them...
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on Jul 11, 2016 in Fitness, General Wellness
You may feel that the being fit means spending a lot of time in the gym. But Studies show that working out for very small intervals of time at very hard levels can produce the same fitness benefits as working out longer at lower intensities. When comparing… One group who exercised little or not at all One group that exercised 45-minutes, at a moderate pace on a stationary bike, And a third group that did High Intensity Interval Training: two-minute warm-up, then repeated 3 intervals of cycling all-out for 20 seconds followed by gentle pedaling for two minutes. (total workout of 10 minutes and only one minute strenuous exertion) The exercise groups completed three workout sessions per week for 12 weeks. As reported by The New York Times: “By the end of the study … the endurance group had ridden for 27 hours, while the interval group had ridden for six hours, with only 36 minutes of that time being strenuous. But when the scientists retested the men’s aerobic fitness, muscles and blood-sugar control now, they found that the exercisers showed virtually identical gains … In both groups, endurance had increased by nearly 20 percent, insulin resistance likewise had improved significantly, and there were significant increases in the number and function of certain microscopic structures in the men’s muscles that are related to energy production and oxygen...
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on Jun 27, 2016 in Cancer prevention, General Wellness, Nutrition
So plentiful was gold in the Inca Empire, that they traded it to the Spanish Conquistadors for glass beads. They did not understand the value of what they had because it was something they had in abundance. In this country, particularly in Southern California, we are fortunate to have an abundance of fresh produce. We are so used to seeing large supermarket displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, that we often fail to understand the value of this treasure. No supplement, no vitamin, no herb or oil, no matter how well made, will ever have the potent value of nature’s collection of healing properties found in abundance in our everyday fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are treasure chests full of vitamins, minerals and hundreds of thousands of tiny pigmented nutrients called phyto-nutrients. All these nutrients travel through your blood stream, repairing, renewing, and detoxing you on a cellular level. There is simply no more potent healing agents than these and they heal without negative side effects! So instead of spending your money on glass beads in the search for feeling better, start every day with fresh produce. Continue to eat it throughout the day. Strive to eat 2 to 3 cups of dark leafy greens and sprouts a day. Get creative with adding in vegetables to all your meals. Snack on fruit every few hours. Vary your choices as the seasons dictate. It is the best medicine money can...
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on Jun 20, 2016 in Fitness, General Wellness, Inspiration
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on Jun 6, 2016 in General Wellness
Integrative medicine works with you to create an environment and lifestyle that will not only help in the recovery from disease, but will promote health through your entire lifespan. Integrative Medicine Physician Consultations A consultation with an integrative medicine physician is different from a conventional visit with a physician. Integrative medicine evaluates all aspects of your lifestyle as part of diagnosing and prescribing treatment. A consultation would include a review of your medications and medical history, as well as examining your physical habits, emotional patterns, sleep, social life, spiritual life, stress, activity, and diet when diagnosing and prescribing treatment. Treatment plans may combine a wide range of both conventional and complementary therapies (yoga, acupuncture, botanicals, spinal manipulation, supplements, etc.) and address all aspects of your health and wellness ─ physical, emotional, and spiritual. Initial one-hour Consultations $250; Thirty minute follow-up appt. $125 Call (858) 573-0090 to...
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on May 30, 2016 in Inspiration
Make sure to water your garden…then things will be green on your side of the street. Taking time to nurture your soul, to nourish your body with healthy foods, to rest when your tired, to move throughout the day, to sit a while in the sun, to pray/meditate and say hello to something greater than yourself, to spend time with people who make you happy…that’s watering your garden....
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